Combating MRSA: The drug-resistant "superbug"

Bacteria that don't succumb to the usual antibiotics give everyone the jitters. But there's a lot we can do to keep the upper hand.

Few achievements in modern medicine can rival Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1928, which began a cascade of antibiotics that cure infections and save lives. But the widespread use of these lifesaving drugs has led to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs," which are outwitting even our newest and most powerful antibiotics.